Thoughts to get that tone (Alannah Myles)

Dpoirier

Dpoirier

Fractal Fanatic
Hi all,

I'm struggling trying to get started with this highly polished (and processed) guitar sound. I'm specifically looking for the rhythm tone of the intro riff (which keeps going on throughout the song). Everything I try on my XL sounds like crap (and I take full responsibility for it, I'm sure with proper tweaking, it could get much better).



Any ideas?
 
iaresee said:
Pleasantly surprised it wasn't Black Velvet you were tone-seeking. :D
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Yeah, I know, I'm on the same page... this was a suggestion from our female singer (whose suggestions we almost always reject, and we're trying to not get her pissed... see other thread about singers and divas)

Still, I find the tonal challenge interesting - this highly processed 80's sound would be a useful preset for other material of the same period
 
It's not a bad song. I recall a certain attraction to a vynil-clad Alannah on Much Music as I was about to hit teenage years. :D

Do you want ballpark? Because 50W Plexi into a TV mix with the gain dialed back gets you there pretty quick if you're using a humbucker-equipped super strat guitar. I like the 50W High 2 model because it's got more low end and you don't have to fight the ice picks as much.

TV mixes, panned left and right a big. And an Oval down the middle to get sweeter highs.

Studio Compressor post-CAB with the default values but set the mix to ~75%.

A little Enhancer if you want stereo. But live, that can be hard to manage.

Stereo digital delay dialed low in the mix at ~240 ms because it's pop-rock in 1989.

Sounds ballpark'ish enough for me. Once in position 2 and then again in position 1 on my loch ness green JEM so it's 100% 80s tone. :D

https://www.dropbox.com/s/sbsryoakstgbwq9/Love Is.wav?dl=0

Preset: https://www.dropbox.com/s/iitn1tde7cqcy37/[iaresee] Love Is.syx?dl=0
 
Holy smoke, iaresee, thanks a bunch!

Isn't there some sort of chorus in there? Maybe my ears are even worse than I thought...
 
Dpoirier said:
Holy smoke, iaresee, thanks a bunch!

Isn't there some sort of chorus in there? Maybe my ears are even worse than I thought...
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I went back and forth on a chorus as you'll see in the preset. But I don't think so. Might be a very subtle stereo flanger.

Edit: yea, try the stereo digital flanger with the mix below 50%. Probably don't want the Enhancer block on if you're using the flanger.

Nice thing about the Plexi is you can hit it with a Tubescreamer to get the overdriven tones on the chorus and bridge. Sounds good.
 
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